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Apr 10, 2013

10 Things I Like about "Modern Family"

Ok, my post on "10 Things I Dislike about Modern Family"didn't go over well. There are gay characters, and one of them is played by a real, life gay person, and it's been nominated for GLAAD Media Awards twice. It even won once.

But the things I like about Modern Family have nothing to do with the gay characters.

2. Their gender-transgressive but heterosexual son Manny, who is obsessed with fashion, hair-grooming products, and the culture of the 1940s.

3. Benjamin Bratt (left) as Gloria's ex, a irresponsible bad boy who still tries to be a good father for Manny.

4. Jay's daughter Claire, her husband Phil, and their kids (Haley, Alex, Luke): a conventional sitcom family: extremely affluent professional dad, stay at home mom, wisecracking kids. But it turns out that driven, Type A personality Claire is in charge, and laconic Phil is merely going along for the ride.

5. The many times that Phil (Ty Burrell, left) embarrasses himself publicly with comments or images that imply that he's a voyeur, into group sex, a pimp, or a pedophile.

6. Nolan Gould as Luke, the beset-upon youngest child of Claire and Phil, whose twitter bio begins "I'm not a dummy, I just play one on tv." He graduated from high school at age 13, and is taking college courses. And learning to play the sitar. (See him in the 2012 gay-subtext horror movie Ghoul).

7. Reid Ewing as Dylan, the dimwitted but amiable boyfriend to teenage Haley, and his Reid-ing web series, which includes gay-themed episodes.

8. Phil's blatant homoerotic interest in Dylan.

9. I don't like much at Cameron and Mitchell's house, but I did like James Marsden as their new "neighbor," who turns out to be a kook living in their daughter's dollhouse.

10. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitchell, previously starred in The Class (2006-2007), a pleasant sitcom about a group of grade-school friends who reconnect as adults (Sean Maguire played the gay one).

11. Hot guest stars like James Marsden and Adam DeVine as Andy the Male Nanny, the most muscular male nanny this side of Muscle Beach.